Butterfly Releases

The sudden flight of colorful butterflies is a lovely image, but the experience can be a downer for the butterflies as well as for the bride. Some wedding planners now discourage releases, due to disappointing results when the insects fail to take flight or fall to the ground, dead or dying. One wedding guest related the bride’s chagrin when attention suddenly focused on trying to keep from stepping on the butterflies—not exactly a memorable moment!

In order to survive, butterflies must be released in the right season, at temperatures of 60 degrees or over, out of the rain or wind, and during daylight hours. If any of these conditions are less than optimal, the promised magical flight might be a sad spectacle. And the cost can be high, running to several hundred dollars for more than a handful of insects.

Many scientists and butterfly fanciers have come out publicly against the practice of butterfly releases. At Callaway Gardens in Georgia, a popular horticultural garden that hosts the Day Butterfly Center, butterfly releases are no longer permitted at scheduled weddings or events on the grounds. The National Wildlife Federation discourages the introduction of commercially-raised butterflies, stating that habitat conservation and elimination of pesticides from the environment are key to preserving healthy butterfly populations.

The North American Butterfly Association (NABA) carries a strongly worded statement on its website. What are NABA’s objections to the practice? Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates interstate shipment of butterflies, some common species (such as the Painted Lady) can be sent nationwide. Commercially-raised butterflies, reared in high-density settings, have the potential to infect local populations with diseases or parasites. They may interbreed with local butterflies, causing genetic changes which are not favorable for regional environmental conditions.

The International Butterfly Breeders Association (IBBA) counters these complaints by pointing to the strict standards that its members must follow when rearing and shipping live butterflies. Among the many providers on the Internet who offer event releases, only IBBA members agree to adhere to these guidelines. According to NABA, this compliance is not uniform in the entire industry. Moreover, it doesn’t address all of the issues related to sale and shipment of live butterflies. Creating a lucrative market for their sale has increased pressures on the environment and on certain species, such as the Monarch.

The high price that Monarchs fetch makes them a prime target for poaching in their wintering grounds in California and Mexico. Clustering on trees, inactive due to cool temperatures, they are easy to pick off in large numbers. An additional concern about Monarchs is that there are two separate populations - Eastern, which migrate to Mexico, and Western, which congregate along the California coast. The USDA requires that Eastern Monarchs can only be shipped to states east of the Continental Divide, and vice versa. However, unscrupulous mixing of these populations can introduce disease or parasites to large numbers of wild butterflies.

Decades of scientific research on species’ geographic range are rendered meaningless by artificial releases. Scientists now can no longer be sure that a butterfly sighted in an area that is beyond its normal range has arrived independently, or if it was reared elsewhere and released there.

Finally, butterflies are not living ornaments. They are complex organisms which respond to climate and habitat. Releasing them into a hostile environment may doom them to a quick death.

Butterfly Garden Settings

Still thinking about incorporating butterflies into your wedding plans? Many parks and private facilities are available to schedule weddings in a garden setting. On a sunny day, local butterflies may flit from flower to flower, lending grace and an element of surprise to the outdoor ceremony. Most venues offer tent rental or a covered area for the reception, or in case of rain.

It may even be possible to include an indoor butterfly facility in your plans. For example, Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo offers wedding scheduling in the butterfly garden next to the indoor butterfly house.  For an extra fee, your guests can visit the butterfly house with a zoo naturalist. Although weddings are scheduled after normal zoo hours, the translucent walls of the butterfly house allow light to penetrate on long summer evenings. Some butterflies are still active, even landing on guests’ bright clothing. Call facilities in your area to see what might be available for your wedding.

Dove Releases

While not as common as butterfly farms, there are plenty of businesses on the Internet that offer dove releases at weddings and funerals. The difference is that they are highly localized, serving communities within about fifty miles of the birds’ loft. This is the maximum distance that most dove handlers want their birds to cover in one flight.

And, according to George Schutt, President of The American Dove Association, there is a big misconception about which birds are actually doing the flying. “White homing pigeons are used for event releases; they have been trained to fly straight home in about an hour’s time,” he states. White ring-neck doves, sold in pet stores, have been bred as domestic pets and lack a homing instinct. They are very likely to starve or fall prey to hawks after being purchased for the purpose of releasing at an event. After all, the birds don’t have a “home” to return to. “I have heard many sad stories about people releasing doves; unfortunately, there are no regulations against releasing them,” says Schutt.

Professional dove breeders adhere to standards set by the Association of White Dove Release Professionals. They bring their birds to your wedding and assist you with the release. As with butterflies, the release must occur a couple of hours before dusk at the latest, so the birds can find their way home.

In northern areas, the business is seasonal due to weather. Breeders usually offer a refund if weather doesn’t cooperate on the day of the wedding and they have to cancel the release. However, it’s more complicated than looking at the sky that day. If birds have been cooped up for two weeks and then the sun comes out, they won’t be in prime shape for an arduous flight.

A Traditional Send-off

What are traditional alternatives for seeing off the bride and groom? You’ll want to check in advance with your wedding facility on what is permitted. Some facilities have become so restrictive that they don’t allow anything to be tossed on the steps or the grounds.

That old standby, rice, has fallen into disfavor with churches and other wedding venues for several reasons: it is slippery underfoot (think liability), it may attract rodents, and it may be harmful to birds that eat it. Bird seed gets a bad rap for attracting rodents, sprouting weeds, and sickening birds if it goes moldy. Both present a clean-up problem.

Most wedding sites don’t permit confetti for clean-up reasons. Bubbles may be permitted (just watch for stains on expensive fabrics, as well as slippery floor surfaces). Some environmental groups suggest asking florists for discarded rose petals. However, wet petals can stain surfaces or present a slipping hazard on steps.		Green Elegance Weddings Suggests: Ceremony Seeds www.ceremonyseeds.com Real Flower Petal Confetti Co. www.confettidirect.co.uk Wedding Petals & Herbs www.weddingpetals.com
Lavender buds may be a good choice, as they smell wonderful and are easy to vacuum up. Or check second-hand shops for hand bells, and let guests serenade you with a ringing chorus as you leave for your honeymoon.

Claire Hagen Dole is guest editor of The Butterfly Gardener’s Guide (Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 2003).
http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/wildlife/handbooks/butterflyguide/

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